Strengthening capacities for implementation of the Nagoya Protocol in Nepal

Photo: IUCN Nepal

Project title:Strengthening Capacities for Implementation of the Nagoya Protocol in Nepal (ABS-GEF)

Location:Dolakha and Kaski Districts, Nepal

Duration:January 2017 - June 2019

Project background: ‘Strengthening Capacities for implementation of the Nagoya Protocol in Nepal’ Project will focus on the Nagoya Protocol and particularly on two of the three core activities that are specified for Program 8 of the biodiversity focal areas of GEF. The project will support Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation to ensure that the draft ABS law meets constitutional requirements and adequately incorporates agro-biodiversity and implementation of the ITPGRFA, and will also support to advocate on its enactment. The project will support Nepal’s contribution to meeting following two Aichi Targets:

Aichi Target 16, which focuses on implementing the Nagoya Protocol. The project will support the process of finalizing and enacting national ABS legislation and preparing implementing regulations; and,

Aichi Target 18, which calls for respecting traditional knowledge and integrating it into national efforts to implement the CBD and Nagoya Protocol with the full participation of indigenous and local communities.

The objective of the Nagoya Protocol is to contribute to the CBD’s objectives of conserving biological diversity and sustainably using biological resources by ensuring the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources. The proposed project, therefore, will enable Nepal to make its national contribution to the global environmental benefit of conserving biodiversity and sustainably using its components by building national capacity to implement ABS.

The global environmental benefit that this project will contribute to achieving is “fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the utilisation of genetic resources, including by appropriate access to genetic resources”.

Objectives of the project:

Build capacity of key stakeholders at national, sub-national and local level to implement Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) in Nepal;

Strengthen the capacity to develop, implement and enforce domestic legislative, administrative or policy measures on ABS;

Strengthen the capacity to negotiate mutually agreed terms;

Strengthen the capacity of indigenous and local communities and relevant stakeholders, including the business sector and the research community, in relation to the implementation of the Nagoya Protocol; and,

Strengthen the capacity of countries to develop endogenous research capabilities to add value to their own genetic resources.

Expected outputs:

The rules and regulations that will allow the implementation of the Nagoya Protocol once the ABS law is enacted.

Representatives of ABS stakeholder groups at all levels have sufficient skills to contribute to implementing ABS and communities have enhanced bargaining power for negotiating eventual ABS agreements

Stakeholders at all levels have greater understanding and awareness of ABS and the issues involved in implementing it.